‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ is from his 1989 album, ‘Storm Front’. I loved this song from the moment I heard it; actually, I love the whole album.

To be honest, I haven’t listened to it for a long while until this morning. There’s a girl doing work experience at the stables where Liam works and her name is Alexa, which reminded me of another song from this album, ‘The Downeaster Alexa’. And that’s why I chose the album for our morning drive.

‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ has been criticised because it doesn’t delve deep or provide any context other than being a list of celebrities and events from 1949 (the year Joel was born) to 1989, when the album was released. In an interview in ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine (Nov 1989), Joel explained that the song is “not meant to sound preachy… What I’m trying to get across is that we didn’t start this stuff, we inherited it.” Which is a fair point; the ‘fire’, the problems that are mentioned in the song, started before he and his generation were born.

Obviously, not every historical event or icon or public figure from 1949-1989 is mentioned. Why would they be? Billy Joel is a musician, and his song isn’t a history lesson. But I think it does a good job in piquing interest; it certainly did for me, spurring me to find out more.

Personally, I like the way the lyrics flow, almost like a child’s rhyme, and I like the tune.

I’ve decided to include the lyrics; if you want to know more, you can find references to everything mentioned HERE.

We didn’t start the fireIt was always burningSince the world’s been turningWe didn’t start the fireNo, we didn’t light itBut we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange LandDylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasionLawrence of Arabia, British BeatlemaniaOle Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats PattersonPope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sexJFK blown away, what else do I have to say

We didn’t start the fireIt was always burningSince the world’s been turningWe didn’t start the fireNo, we didn’t light itBut we tried to fight it